The Skeleton Key (2005)
Runtime: 1 hr 44 mins
Theatrical Release: Aug 12, 2005 Wide
Box Office: $47,729,605
Synopsis: After New Orleans hospice worker Caroline (Kate Hudson) answers a help wanted ad, she finds herself working as the live-in caretaker of Ben Devereaux (John Hurt), a stroke victim who has lost his ability to speak. Ben's wife, Violet (Gena Rowlands), presents Caroline with a skeleton key to... After New Orleans hospice worker Caroline (Kate Hudson) answers a help wanted ad, she finds herself working as the live-in caretaker of Ben Devereaux (John Hurt), a stroke victim who has lost his ability to speak. Ben's wife, Violet (Gena Rowlands), presents Caroline with a skeleton key to open any door in the house--with the exception of one, which she claims she has never been able to open. But curiosity gets the best of her, and Caroline opens the door to find a wealth of materials representing the old house's history of hoodoo, an ancient form of folk magic. She soon discovers that the house harbors a dark secret--one that Violet knows more about than she first admits. Breaking her string of lighthearted romantic comedies, Kate Hudson gives a performance that proves she's more than capable of playing a feisty damsel in distress. Ehren Kruger's (THE RING) script gives her some physically demanding scenes, while providing the audience with a steady string of effective jolts culminating in a SIXTH SENSE-style twist that few are likely to see coming. Louisiana's swampy, heavy atmosphere is literally a character in the film, while Gena Rowlands, at age 75, astounds once again with one of her most surprising roles. [More]
Genre: Thriller
Starring: Kate Hudson, Gena Rowlands, John Hurt, Peter Sarsgaard, Joy Bryant
Screenwriter: Ehren Kruger
Producer: Michael Shamberg, Iain Softley, Stacey Sher
DVD Info
Release:
May 22, 2007
HD DVD Features:
- Keep Case
- Widescreen - 2.35
Audio:
- Dolby Digital Plus 5.1 Surround - English, French
- Subtitles - English (SDH), French - Optional
Buy It On DVD
Reviews
The voodoo lore is sketchy (it can't hurt unbelievers, except when it can), the plot obviously little but build-up to the big reveal.
Reinvigorates the supernatural thriller genre with a much needed infusion of new ideas and just plain nasty, digital-free mischief.
A paint-by-numbers supernatural thriller that's more interesting for its locations than for its story.
Pretty much what you would expect from the screenwriter of disappointing films such as Scream 3, Reindeer Games and Arlington Road.
The wide, unmoving forehead of Kate Hudson floats with torporific ennui through this clip show of all the slowest, most boring bits from every spook movie you've ever seen.
Es predecible y soporífera, llena de clichés y lugares comunes, sin lograr crear nunca la atmósfera adecuada para que el espectador logre una conexión emocional
Its ultimate twist is both admirable and startling, making this savory gumbo worth a nibble.
The script is clever and witty enough to get by, and the cute blonde heroine is smart and resourceful enough that the script never seems sexist.
The film's lush atmosphere is a thin smokescreen to hide the fact that its formulaic underpinnings prevent it from approaching anything that is truly scary or unsettling
The Skeleton Key is one hoodoo of a movie--literally. It's a movie about hoodoo, voodoo and cheap thrills set in a Louisiana backwater.
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